13 in race for the DSC prize

The longlist for the $ 25,000 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2017 was announced recently. Thirteen novels, which made the cut out of more than 60 eligible entries, represent a diverse mix of established writers and debut novelists. The list includes seven Indian writers, three Pakistani writers, two Sri Lankan writers and one American writer based in India. An interesting facet which emerges is the intertwining of South Asian life with the global landscape as the novels seamlessly move across multiple characters, settings and geographies. The longlist comprises three debut novels and also includes two translated entries where the original writing has been in Tamil and Malayalam. Apart from authors based in the South Asian region there were several examples of authors who were based outside the region and who incisively explored South Asian life and culture from an outside perspective.

A five-member international jury panel, headed by feminist writer and publisher Ritu Menon, selected this year’s longlist of 13 novels which they feel represent the best works of fiction related to the South Asian region. Other members of the jury include Valentine Cunningham, Professor Emeritus of English language and Literature at Oxford University, UK, and author of several books on Victorian fiction and poetry; Steven Bernstein, screenwriter, director, author, cinematographer and lecturer based out of Los Angeles; Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, journalist, radio and television broadcaster, based in London who has written extensively on society, culture and feminism; and Senath Walter Perera, Senior Professor in English, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, who has authored several publications on the diasporic and postcolonial literature of the region.

The jury will shortlist five or six books for the DSC Prize on September 27. The final winner would be announced at a special award ceremony at the Dhaka Literary Festival on November 18 this year.

The DSC Prize for South Asian Literature, instituted by Surina Narula and Manhad Narula in 2010, is a prestigious international literary award, focused on South Asian writing. — TNS